The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-03-26
REMOvING sTUMPS.
Expo fence of a Man Who Seems to Know
What He Is Writing About.

L DSlleNe lldJ lew people nave Hdu III
much experience with stumps as have.
By removing a stump mean removing
not only the part above ground, but
the roots to such adepth that they will
not interfere in blowing or cultivating.
Of all things, 1 despise ''blind"
stump-one just even with the surface
of the ground. True, it will allow the
mower TO pass over it; but you may not
see it until you liam in" it with your
pillow or cultivator. Both you and the
team are brought to standstill so sud-
den that it is not good for you, unless
the plow breaks. You may use gum
powder as you please, and it will not
remove the roots unless you put it in
each root, which would be more bother
than grubbing them out Gunpowder
will leave blind stump every time;
and if l wanted this, / would cut the
tree down at the surface OF the ground.
Dynamite would accomplish more, as it
hits hardest downwards. 1t could be
laid on the top of the stump. But
l, for one, will use the mattock before
l will fool with dynamite. Coal oil or
any other oil, though the stump be
bored full of holes and every hole be
full of oil, will accomplish no more
than gunpowder, unless the earth is
dug away from the roots and they are
allowed to dry out. The parts of a
stump below the surface of the ground
are full of moisture; but if the earth is
dug away in the summer, say in June,
all around the stump to the depth of d
foot, and along the roots for distance
of at least two feet, by the middle of
August the parts exposed will have lost
nearly all moisture, as the weather is
usually dry then. Then bore four or
five holes into the stump, starting the
auger about on level with the surface
of the ground and inclining it down.
wards only enough to keep the oil in
the holes when they are filled. Fill the
holes with coal oil and allow the stump
to remain undisturbed for two weeks.
The oil will be permeating the wood
after it has all disappeared from the
holes; and the oil in the wood will keep
out so much moisture should there be a
rain. After the oil has disappeared
and there have been several dry days,
set the stump on fire on the windward
side and it will burn out. The pieces
of roots remaining in the soil will be
pulled out by the plow, as they have
lost their support Boring holes in a
stump from around which the earth has
not been dug and filling them with oil.
is sheer folly. The part of the stump
above the ground could be burned
without the oil; while the part below
the surface will not burn, because it is
too wet to burn, and the pores of the
wood being filled by moisture, the oil is
excluded.
1t pays to burn out only large Stumps
in the way have described, and this is
the only way in which any stump can
be burned out. ct is easy enough to
burn stump off, The smaller stumps
are most economically got rid of by
grubbing them out at once. A lever
and horse may well be used to aid,
but they can not do all the work. My
fayorite plan with moderately large
stumps is to dig the earth away from
one side, exposing the largest side root.
A log chain is passed under the root,
close against the stump, and a team is
attached to the chain. Next l get q
fourteen foot lever Ca red elm pole
makes a splendid one, being light,
rigid and strong) and while the horses
pull at a right angle to the line of the
root, put my weigh on the lever.
This usually brings the stump at the
first trial. The quickest and easiest
way to get moderately large stump
having tap root, as the hickory, is to
go bravely to work and dig the earth
away and cut the root. Smaller stumps
having tap roots may be twisted out.
Cut the side roots, if there are any.
Then put around the stump log chain,
making the chain just so long that the
end of stout lever can be got between it
and the stump. The lever must be in
serted vertically; its weight will bring
it to a horizontal position, and tighten
the chain. Attach horse to the other
end of the lever and drive it
around. One revolution will either
twist off the root or so loosen it, that
by putting your lever under the stump
you can pry it out.
have never been able to find any
royal road to clearing land of stumps,
and have been seeking it for years.
and have had some thousands Of
stumps, of all ages and sizes, to exper-
iment on. Now that l have more land
cleared off, am not compelled to put
ground in cultivated crops as soon as
the trees are cut off l put it down in
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